Conor McGregor boosted by gloves ruling

THE Nevada State Athletic Commission has handed Conor McGregor a major early victory over Floyd Mayweather, overturning its own rules regarding glove size.

According to Nevada's boxing rules, all fighters over 147 pounds (67kg) must wear 10-ounce (2800g) gloves. Mayweather and McGregor's Showtime pay-per-view superfight on August 27 will be contested at the junior middleweight limit of 154 pounds.

However, both fighters submitted official requests to the commission stating their desire to compete in smaller, eight-ounce gloves.

In a shocking decision, the NSAC agreed to the fighters' request and granted an exception to its own rule.

Glove size has been a constant issue in the long war of words between Mayweather and McGregor.

Floyd Mayweather Jnr trains at his gym in Las Vegas last week.John Locher

From the beginning, McGregor has been pushing for the smallest gloves possible because smaller gloves have less padding and thus accentuate his significant punching power. McGregor has made a name for himself in the UFC with showstopping knockouts delivered with the sport's traditional four-ounce gloves.

Mayweather, goaded by McGregor's taunts, publicly stated that he'd be fine with the smaller gloves, safe in the knowledge that Nevada's own rules would assuredly protect him.

McGregor, who is also known for making wild predictions about his fights that often end up being true, said last week that the eight-ounce gloves would be the end of Mayweather.

"If we're eight ounces, I'm struggling to give him two rounds," McGregor said at his media workout. "That's the God's honest truth. The only reason I maybe give him two rounds is because in this game, the referee stops me from pounding his head into the canvas. And he has 10 seconds to recover. That's the only reason he might get to the second round."